More about: Madrid in 4 Days: everything you need to know
Although there is a lot to see and do in Madrid, four days is enough time to get to know the most important parts of the city. The secret is to be well organised, so I am sharing with you my ideal itinerary for a stay of this length in the Spanish capital.
Day 1: Visit Madrid's most important squares and palaces
The first day of your four-day trip to Madrid will be spent visiting some of the most important squares and palaces in the heart of the city.
Stroll through Puerta del Sol and see the statue of the Bear and the Strawberry Tree
In the centre of Madrid is one of the city's most important squares, a favourite spot for locals and a must-see for tourists: Puerta del Sol. In addition to being a large square, it is surrounded by important buildings with unique historical architecture.
Here you will also find two very important points that every tourist should know about and which are included in most tours if you book a guided tour of Madrid:
- Kilometre zero of Madrid, which serves as the origin of the radial roads of the urban grid.
- The statue of the Bear and the Berry, erected in 1967. A photograph next to the statue is a must on any visit to this city.
Visit the Plaza Mayor and the San Miguel Market
From Puerta del Sol, walking along Calle Mayor, the Plaza and the San Miguel Market are only five minutes away. It is a beautiful meeting place, surrounded by Gothic-style buildings. If you visit Madrid at Christmas, there is a fantastic Christmas market here that you should not miss.
The San Miguel Market is located right in the Plaza Mayor and is a fantastic iron and glass structure where you will find an enviable gastronomic offering. In fact, it is an ideal place to book a gastronomic tour.
My recommendation? Take a break for an early lunch here, enjoy the views of the Plaza Mayor and then relax with a coffee.
Visit the Almudena Cathedral
The city's most important religious building is located just a six-minute walk from the San Miguel Market. After lunch, the afternoon of your first day is the best time to book a guided tour of the Almudena Cathedral:
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Opening hours: from 9 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., Monday to Sunday. If you want to visit the museum area and the dome, the opening hours are Monday to Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2.30 p.m.
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Admission price: Free to visit the cathedral; around €6 to go up to the museum area and the dome. The guided tour costs around €50.
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Duration of the visit: Approximately 2 hours with the dome. However, the guided tour is much more comprehensive and lasts 2½ hours.
Take a tour of the Royal Palace of Madrid
What was once the home of Spanish royalty is now one of the city's most important cultural and historical centres. If you want to know why it's on the list of Madrid's must-see places, spend the rest of the afternoon of your first day exploring the premises.
The best way to visit the Royal Palace and make the most of everything important is, without a doubt, to book tickets in advance.
Practical information
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Opening hours: Between October and March, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; from April to September, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
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Ticket price: a ticket without a guide costs a minimum of €25, while a guided tour with all the explanations and direct access without queuing costs €29.
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Duration of the visit: approximately 1.5 hours
Stroll through the Sabatini Gardens at sunset
Sabatini is the name of the gardens of the Royal Palace, located on the north side of the building. Designed in the purest Neoclassical style, this green space is one of the best places to watch the sunset in Madrid.
After your visit to the Royal Palace, take a stroll around the grounds and admire the impressive fountains and sculptures. You can take photos of the Palace as the sun sets.
In the evening, take a tapas gastronomic tour of central Madrid
One of my favourite things to do in Madrid after sunset is one of the wine and tapas tours of the city, which you can book here. There are many options to suit all types of travellers.
Day 2: Visit the Prado Museum and Retiro Park
Spend the second day of your trip to Madrid in the Paseo del Prado area, with its museums, gardens and numerous monuments.
Start at the Plaza and Palacio de Cibeles at sunrise
Start the morning of your second day in Madrid by watching the sunrise at one of the city's most beautiful buildings. The Cibeles Palace currently houses the city council and is one of the buildings most loved and cared for by the people of Madrid.
It is worth taking a trip inside to climb up to its viewing terrace, from which you can see the entire square and the beginning of Gran Vía. In addition, so that you don't miss a thing, you can book a tour of the Palacio de Cibeles viewpoint.
Continue on to the Neptune Fountain
Leaving Plaza de Cibeles behind, take the beautiful Paseo del Prado avenue to the next important photo spot in the city of Madrid: the Neptune Fountain, located in the famous Plaza de Cánovas.
Here you will find a fantastic neoclassical monument with a marble sculpture of the famous Roman god. The square itself is surrounded by beautiful architecture dating back to the 18th century. It is one of the points of interest you will visit if you book a guided tuk tuk tour of Madrid.
Don't miss a visit to the Prado Museum
Continue along Paseo del Prado avenue to reach the city's most important museum. Famous throughout the world for housing one of the most impressive collections of paintings from the 16th to the 19th centuries.
Due to the size of the space, the best way to visit the Prado Museum is to book a guided tour, which will show you the most important works. However, you also have the option of buying your tickets for the Prado Museum in advance and exploring it at your leisure.
If you want to buy a souvenir, the Prado shop has some really attractive items for art lovers.
Practical information
- Opening hours: Monday to Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.; and Sundays, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- Admission price: approximately £18 for an adult ticket.
- Duration of visit: You will need about three hours to visit the museum's most important rooms and works.
Lunch nearby: There is a wide variety of places to eat in this area, so after your visit to the museum, I recommend taking a break for lunch at one of the restaurants near the Prado Museum.
Spend the afternoon in the Retiro Park
After spending a few hours inside the museum, the best way to clear your mind and get some fresh air is to take a stroll through the city's most beautiful and famous park: Retiro Park.
Covering an area of 118 hectares, the park is not only beautiful but also huge, so my advice is to focus on the most interesting areas. To do this, you can book a tour of the Retiro. The essentials are:
- Visit the Crystal Palace: originally used as a greenhouse, this fantastic structure is now used to host temporary exhibitions from the Prado Museum.
- See the Paseo de las Estatuas: on a beautiful walk through the Retiro's vegetation, you can explore the statues representing important Spanish monarchs.
- Take photos of the sunset at the Retiro Lake: the beautiful artificial lake in the Retiro Park is considered one of the best places in Madrid to take photos of the sunset. Don't miss it!
Practical information
- Opening hours: from October to March, the park is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.; the rest of the year, it is open until midnight.
- Entrance fee: access to the park is free and you can enjoy a guided tour from €13.
- Duration of visit: As long as you like.
And at night, attend a flamenco show
One of the best things to do in Madrid at night is to attend one of its famous flamenco shows.
Live shows can be enjoyed at numerous entertainment centres in the old town, always featuring talented local artists. Here are some options:
- Flamenco show at Torres Bermejas in Madrid, from £25
- Flamenco show at the Teatro Flamenco in Madrid, from £26
- Flamenco show at Corral de la Morería in Madrid, from £51
- Flamenco show at Essential Madrid, from £35
Practical information
- Price: between €32 and €70.
- Duration: can be from one to three hours depending on the option you choose.
Day 3: Discover Gran Vía and the Temple of Debod
Spend your third day shopping in the centre of Madrid and exploring the city's most exclusive areas.
Stop off at Plaza Callao
The best way to start a morning of sightseeing in the north-west of Madrid is undoubtedly Plaza del Callao. Considered a symbol of Madrid, it is the equivalent of New York's famous Times Square.
Three important streets in the city converge at this point: Preciados, Calle del Carmen and Gran Vía. Take the opportunity to take a few iconic photos before continuing your exploration. And remember that you can easily reach this area by booking your ticket for the Madrid tourist bus.
Morning coffee and shopping on Gran Vía
No trip to Madrid would be complete without a visit to the city's most important and famous boulevard and shopping street. Whether you like fashion, gastronomy, history or architecture, Gran Vía has something for everyone. It's the ideal place for a private shopping tour of Madrid.
Here's a sample of what you'll find:
- Cafés on Gran Vía: Faborit San Bernardo, Celicioso Hortaleza, Granier, Prioritè Art Coffee Shop, Noma.
- Fashion shops on Gran Vía: New Balance, Stradivarius, ZARA, Salsa Jeans, Grassy España.
- Famous buildings on Madrid's Gran Vía: Metrópolis Building.
and the Carrión Building.
In the afternoon, visit Plaza de España and the Cervantes Monument
If you walk to the end of Gran Vía, you will find Plaza de España and the famous Monument to Miguel Cervantes, accompanied by his two legendary characters: Don Quixote and Sancho Panza.
Around Plaza de España you will find some important buildings, such as the Compañía Asturiana de Minas, the Edificio España and the Torre Madrid. My recommendation is that you book a bike tour of Madrid and get to know this area of the city in detail.
Visit the Temple of Debod at sunset
It's only a 10-minute walk from the centre of Plaza de España to the Temple of Debod, so I recommend exploring this important Madrid gem and waiting for sunset while strolling through its gardens.
However, it's important to note that if you book your ticket for the tourist bus, one of its stops is the Temple of Debod.
The structure that makes up the monument is over 2,000 years old and was a gift brought to Spain from distant Egypt. Needless to say, its historical and aesthetic uniqueness make it a monument that stands out from the other structures that make up the Madrid landscape.
Practical information
- Opening hours: closed on Mondays; Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Admission price: free.
At night, go up to the roof of the Círculo de Bellas Artes
From the Temple of Debod, you can take the Madrid bus that runs along Gran Vía to reach the Círculo de Bellas Artes in a journey that will take approximately 20 minutes, or you can also book your ticket for the night tourist bus and take the opportunity to visit other interesting destinations along the way.
This important Madrid building, constructed in 1920, has clear influences from neoclassical architecture; however, the best part is its panoramic terrace, which offers fabulous views of Gran Vía, Plaza de Cibeles and the entire historic centre of Madrid.
Practical information
- Opening hours: Monday to Thursday from 12 noon to 1 a.m.; Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m.
- Entrance fee: approximately £4.
Day 4: Don't miss the Puerta de Alcalá and the Reina Sofía Museum
The fourth day is for seeing the rest of Madrid's monuments and iconic sites, as well as the city's second most important art museum.
Start at the Puerta de Alcalá
The last day of your tour of Madrid begins at one of the city's most iconic monuments. Get up early to visit the Puerta de Alcalá before continuing with your day's itinerary. This is a must if you book any type of guided tour of Madrid.
Visit the Madrid Botanical Garden
From Alcalá, take Paseo del Prado avenue to reach the Royal Botanical Garden of Madrid in a journey that will take approximately 15 minutes.
The Garden is especially beautiful and pleasant if you visit the city in summer or autumn. Today, it is home to approximately 5,000 different species of plants and trees and four beautiful terraces where you can sit and relax. My favourite plan is to visit it as part of a bicycle tour of Madrid.
Practical information
- Opening hours: it opens at 10 a.m. Closing times are as follows: from November to February, at 6 p.m.; from May to August, at 9 p.m.; from March to October, at 7 p.m.; and from April to September, at 8 p.m.
- Admission price: €6 for adults.
- Duration of the visit: as long as you like.
Discover the iconic Atocha Station
Ten minutes from Madrid's Botanical Gardens is Atocha Station, one of the most beautiful train stations you'll find in a city, thanks to its stunning, perfectly maintained tropical garden, which is home to more than 500 plant species.
Once you've explored the station, you can stop for lunch at any of the restaurants located around the Prado Museum, although I recommend enjoying a private gastronomic tour of Madrid with 10 tastings, a delicious experience you won't forget.
Visit the Reina Sofía Museum
The second most important museum in the city is the Reina Sofia Museum. If you like art, especially modern art, spend a few hours of your afternoon exploring this important historical monument and the works on display here. The collection mainly comprises works by Spanish artists such as Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and Joan Miró.
Possibly the best way to get to know the museum is to book a guided tour of the Reina Sofia Museum that takes you through the museum's most important works. If you prefer to visit on your own, you can book your ticket to the Reina Sofia Museum.
At the end of your visit, don't forget to visit the beautiful Reina Sofia Museum shop to pick up a few souvenirs.
Practical information
- Opening hours: from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. or 9 p.m. depending on the time of year; in summer, opening hours are usually extended.
- Ticket price: approximately €15 for an adult ticket and €30 for a guided tour.
- Duration of visit: 2 to 3 hours, depending on how leisurely you take your visit.
Enjoy a Segway or bicycle tour at sunset
As you can see, there is a lot to see and do in Madrid. Now I suggest you say goodbye to the city in the most fun and unique way you can imagine: by booking a bike tour of Madrid or a Segway tour of Madrid at the end of the day.
These are some of the best excursions you can do in the city, very popular with tourists and a last chance to see and discover the monuments and places that, for one reason or another, you didn't get to see during your four-day tour of Madrid.
Practical information
- Price: from approximately £27.
- Duration: depending on the itinerary and the company.
Are you spending less time in Madrid?
Please note that this activity plan does not include the day of arrival in the city or the day of departure. If you want to see slightly shorter itineraries, I recommend taking a look at the following guides: